Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti PDP governorship candidate

Ekiti PDP Gov Race: Group Rejects Deputy Gov. Ticket

A group, Concerned Ikere Indigenes (CII), a coalition of Ikere-Ekiti indigenes in Ekiti State, has rejected the choice of Dr. Olubunmi Olusola   as the deputy governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 21 June, 2014 governorship election.

According to a statement issued on behalf of the group by Bamidele Ogundare, the group declared: “We see the choice as a deliberate policy to degrade our town as a place where no one is qualified to be the governor of the state.  Ikere-Ekiti had produced two deputy governors for the PDP candidate, Mr Ayodele Fayose, whom he humiliated out of office.

“The impeachment of our illustrious son, Surveyor Abiodun Aluko, was orchestrated by Fayose before he brought in Mr Adebisi Omoyeni to replace him. Omoyeni himself left Fayose’s government when the former governor was plotting to rubbish him and dent his impeccable credentials.”

The group said their two sons were more qualified than Fayose on grounds of integrity, exposure, education and corporate governance.

“They were in the race for the 2014 governorship of Ekiti State, but Fayose in cahoots with party national leadership conspired to deny our illustrious sons the coveted seat only for Fayose to now declare to Ikere-Ekiti people that they don’t deserve to be governor of Ekiti State but a perpetual
deputy governor.

“Again, Chief Dayo Okondo, who Fayose deceived for a long time while  promising to make him deputy  governor, is now suffering from  failed health following psychological crisis resulting from Fayose’s deception after he used the man for unedifying duties.  Since the man has been on sick bed, Fayose has not deemed it fit to visit him on his sick bed, while Governor Kayode Fayemi is the one now taking care of Okondo’s health challenges.”
The group also stated that “more degrading is that even though it is believed that the South Senatorial zone should produce the next governor of Ekiti State, all the aspirants of the party in the zone were rigged out in the primaries only for Fayose to bring in an Ikere-Ekiti indigene who nobody knows at home and who is a political novice to be his running mate at the detriment of Ekiti people.”

According to the group,  Governor Fayemi has flagged off the dualisation of Ikere-Ado-Akure road, which Fayose failed to do when he was the governor. The only part of the road that Fayose constructed did not reach Ikere-Ekiti township and it collapsed barely six months after it was opened to the public.

“We have seen the roads Fayemi is constructing across the state. We want the same standard of road in
our community and not Fayose’s model that collapses six months after commissioning. In fact, Fayose had declared Fayemi’s gesture as political because, according to him, Ekiti State has no money for the
dualisation of the road. This is a clear signal that Fayose is not ready to do anything for Ikere-Ekiti if he emerges the governor.

“We are also aware that Fayose is planning to turn College of Education, because it awards degree certificates, to the Institute of Education  of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti.  According to
information at our disposal, his belief is that the state has no money to run two degree-awarding institutions because of the running costs.

“Enough of fraud and injustice against Ikere community. Ikere-Ekiti is tired of producing deputy governors. We have many qualified sons and daughters that are more credible than Fayose that can occupy the governorship position in Ekiti State. The choice of Mr. Olusola is nothing other than a continued relegation of Ikere-Ekiti political stature in Ekiti State.

“Ikere-Ekiti is tired of playing the second fiddle. We deserve nothing other than the governorship of Ekiti State in 2018 after Governor Fayemi’s second term. Ikere-Ekiti will not fall into the trap of deputy governorship that will deprive it of Ekiti State governorship in 2018. Fayose should go away with his poisoned chalice,” the group said.